System and means of fingerprints



sept. 16, 1930. T WHITE 1,775,794

SYSTEM AND MEANS OF FINGER PRINTS Filed Feb. 27, 1928 IN V EN TOR,

vA T TURA/EVS.

. print is faked or not.

Patented Sept. 16, 1.9.30

, UNITED STATES LESLIE 4rr. WHITE, or vENTU Eh1c2rIfroENr"ff l Y SYSTEMAND MEANsfoEEIueE'ErmINfrs f5? j j f Application led February27,7..1923- This'invention relates to aV system and means of fingerprints.

It is the universal practice to have each criminal make a finger printimpression so that the police records may be kept complete. After anygiven crime, one of the first acts is to have'a finger print expertexamine the location of the crime ,and attempt to find finger printsuponv any article and if found to carefully take the article, if it ismovable, or if not, take a photograph of the finger print Vat the placefound. This photographed finger print is then compared-with fingerprints of known criminals. The system, however, is far from exact andcriminologists are usually satisfied f'they find twelve pointsv of similarity between two finger prints. This however,V renders a systemAof'finger prints Vfar from being an exact science for the very reasonthat it is a simple matter to forgenger prints. v l

The present system has forV an object a means whereby finger printing isreduced to an exact science to the end that there would be hundreds ofsimilarities or dissimilarites to prove or ,disprove that any certainperson committed the crime. Y

Another object is the provision of a finger print system which cannot befabricatedand which is so clear and exact as to not-only bring out everyridge and furrow but likewise to permit a comparison of the variousglands and ducts of the skin. By doing this, it is possible totellwhether any one given finger Other objects of the invention'willappear as the specification proceeds. .l

In the drawing: l Y v Figures l and 2 represent finger print im`pressions which are to becompared.

Y Referring now to the drawing, I have shown two finger printimpressions designated as A and B. The same camera withthe same lens issupposed to take photof graphs of the finger printsV to lthe end thatthere would bea uniformity of size of said finger prints. After Valgiven criminal or susifoundgathe Selene ofthe crime. a photograph is`talneli'j off said g fingerprints by Athe same icamerai and lens I astook the photographA as, iforlinstance, show iij'byj B.',Thirslphlotograph Bmaybe enlarged lso asfto have the theflatent`pri"nt1 taken "atV "the L scene of the crime would 'flike'wise-V have`to be enlarged photographically tothe .same scale `as the jshowing fin"Figure 1y iitlii's scale was adopted.v "The record the police ,stationis then consulted and the "ilrrllvestigator"'williuse' "the`positive=trans"parencyrB and may pick several of thenumbered positivetransparencies A for points of similarity. The transparenc y B will beplaced over the transparency and in front of a source of light. Itsimply becomes a .question then of balancing the ridges and furrows ofthe transparencies and a given area may be selected for comparison,

:as indicated by the zoning circles l and 2 ofsaid transparencies.

If the transparencies as showrri'at `After `crime has are identical withreference tothe circle, it

will be seen that the ridges will coincide as will likewise the furrowsand if the enlargements are great enough, the general appearance oftheskin, particularly the gland structure, vmay likewise be examined. Thus,in place of the usual comparison as now enerally used by finger printexperts whichv at the most only gives from three to forty points ofsimilarity, it will immediately be seen that b y my systeml can gethundreds ofpoints of similarity or dissimilarity and definitely provethatV a given criminal vdid or did not commit the crime in question orat least was in some `manner connected with the crime.

As stated, in case of doubt, the ducts and flujo be iled in the usualmanner and duplicates thereof could be sent to the different policestations and bureaus of identificaton throughout the country. The systemis inexpensive and does not require the use of complicated apparatus orprojection apparatus of any kind or character. The transarencies mightbe either glass plates or cut lm.

Having thus disclosed my invention, what I desire to secure by LettersPatent is:

l. A system of finger prints which consists in photographing a givenfinger print and providing an enlarged transparent positive of a givenscale, photographing a suspects finger print and enlarging to provide atransparent positive of the same scale as the iirst transparentpositive, superimposing one transparency upon the other, and placing thesuperimposed transparencies in front of a light to determine similarityor dissimilarity between the ridges and furrows.

2. A system o? iinger prints which consists in providing an enlargedtransparent p0si tive of a given scale of a known linger print,providing an enlarged transparent positive of a suspects finger print ofthe same Scale as the first finger print transparency, selecting givenzoning areas on both transparencies, then superimposing one transparencyupon the other, and comparing the ridges and furrows of the Zoned areas.

In testimony whereof, I have Signed my name to this specication, this 18day of February, 1928.

VLESLIE WHITE.

